Dr. Fitt: Better to know the signs that presage cancer. Unfortunately, by the time a patient was coughing up blood and the lung cancer was large enough for me to see on X-ray, it had already spread. We don’t do well with cancer that has spread–metastasized.

If you’re rolling the dice using tobacco products, expect cancer.

If you have first degree relatives that had cancer, expect cancer (My dad having prostate cancer made me hyper-vigilant about having my PSA tested).

If you’re overweight, especially if fat is concentrated around your gut, expect cancer.